William Kupper Jr. may have earned a Bronze Star serving for the Army in Vietnam, but most of his beliefs about business and leadership can be summarized by the text of a sign he referenced as hanging in every boat in the Navy: "Number One: Ship; Number Two: Shipmates; Number Three: Self."
Kupper, the president of BusinessWeek Group and the publisher of BusinessWeek magazine, expounded on his beliefs regarding leadership and teamwork to a group of over 50 students gathered in Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge yesterday for the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program's Fox Speakers Forum.
"I don't care if this is Daniel Boone time, I don't care if this is Civil War time, I don't care if this is World War II time," Kupper said as he outlined the attributes that contribute most strongly to making good leaders. "The key is making a decision."
The other keys to leadership, according to the former 24-year Time Inc. employee, are "getting the right people in the right place," understanding a customer's orientation and being able to communicate effectively. However, Kupper said his personal motto is, "I try to make a difference every day."
Two examples from his life that Kupper used to illustrate these principles were when he was made publisher of Health magazine and then later BusinessWeek.
In both cases, when he took over as publisher, Kupper acknowledged that he knew little about the fields that either of the magazines covered.
He was determined to overcome this, however, as he believed that simply by applying his ideas and innovations, he could "make a difference."
Joe Tierney, the executive director of Fox Leadership Program, said that he was particularly impressed by these stories.
"Mr. Kupper talked about accepting tough challenges knowing that he would have to learn different skills along the way to achieve his goals," he said. "He didn't know all the answers before he started."
Tierney added that "it was a terrific turnout -- students chose to spend the afternoon listening to Mr. Kupper instead of enjoying the first nice day of spring."
One of those students was College freshman Carlos Gonzalez, who said what impacted him most was Kupper's emphasis on "vision, passion and change." Gonzalez added, "I learned two or three things that I will apply to my leadership style."
In addition to talking about leadership, Kupper outlined what he does as president of BusinessWeek Group -- the umbrella media company owns a TV show, Web site and several international publications -- and publisher of BusinessWeek magazine.
"I probably would have liked to learn more about the industry," said Wharton senior Jennifer Huang, who would like to follow Kupper's footsteps into publishing.
She added, however, that "his comments about teamwork and leadership were also very important and probably better for the broader audience."
Kupper remained after his speech to talk with students, prompting Fox Leadership Associate Director Chuck Brutsche to say, "I really admire that he's able to take the time out of his demanding schedule to engage students."
